Experimental Study on the Creep Characteristics of Cemented Backfill in a Goaf under Water Pressure

As the groundwater environment changes in a goaf, the creep deformation of the backfill underwater pressure is worthy of attention. This paper takes the undercut goaf filling in the Yuzhou section of the middle route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project as an example. Grading loading creep testing of the backfill under different water pressures was carried out using equipment developed by our research team. Based on the experimental results, the following key points were observed: (1) under the same axial stress, the creep strain and steady creep rate increase with increasing water pressure. Under the same water pressure, the creep strain and steady creep rate also increase with increasing axial stress. (2) The long-term strength of a backfill sample decreases with increasing water pressure and has a nonlinear relationship with water pressure. (3) The increase in water pressure exacerbates the damage of a backfill sample, which is manifested by the secondary crack propagation at the time of failure. Therefore, the increase in water pressure degrades the mechanical properties of the backfill to some extent. The results of this paper provide a reliable theoretical basis for the long-term stability analysis of goaf filling underwater pressure.